


Welcome Back To Camp Campbell Bitches

by Morningstar_Winchester



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: ... you guys get the point, Damion's a bitch, Don't read this if you can't handle it okay, Gen, I promise, I'm, I'm so sorry, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, It'll get better, JUST, Max is a stripper/sex toy, Multi, Rape/Non-con Elements, Trigger warnings guys, Underage Drinking/Drug Use, Underage Rape/Non-con, dadvid, not sure what else to tag, uhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-16 19:41:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16960308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morningstar_Winchester/pseuds/Morningstar_Winchester
Summary: He'd always said he hated that hellhole, now he was going to purposefully put himself in a position to go back.Boy, things really had changed.________________________________________WOO BABY, WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS!Looks like the gangs changed a lot, huh? Mostly lil' Maxy boy here! But hey, you'll figure that out when you read the story! So stop reading the summary and read the actual story! :D





	1. So Hot, Out The Box, Can We Pick Up The Pace?

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah baby I'm back~  
> Okay I know I've let you guys down on A LOT of other stories but I DO plan to continue those when I have the inspiration to write more!  
> As for this story, I have already finished FOURTEEN CHAPTERS and I plan to update every few days to satisfy you until then!! So this can keep you guys occupied until I can continue the others! I'll try to update daily but like I said - FOURTEEN CHAPTERS and STILL going.
> 
> Again, guys! Trigger warnings! Rape/Non-con, sexual abuse, physical abuse - LOTS OF MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE. PLEASE, if these are triggers for you DO NOT read the story.  
> Another trigger warning - Underage drinking/drug use.  
> Alright, with that said -
> 
> HAVE FUN  
> HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THIS  
> WE'RE ALL SADISTS HERE. AND MASOCHISTS.   
> ESPECIALLY MAX.  
> OOPS, SPOILERS.  
> BYE.

"School's  _out_ , baby!"

Sometimes, it's too loud at these parties. The music's blaring, other kids voices somehow matching the volume of the blasting stereo. The noise all around would make anyone want to stuff the punch bowl over their heads, pour the spiked liquid into their ears if it could muffle the horribly loud noises. But, if someone has had the right amount of punch (preferably spiked with hardcore whiskey), then the noise is just what they need. Hell, they might join in to make it louder. See how much it takes before someone calls the police on their sorry asses for disturbing the neighborhood or some shit. It's almost too dark, too. The only lights are the ones flashing from the ceiling, poorly hung across the large rooms and casting an almost eerie dark blue glow. And there's also a few normal, bright light bulbs mixed in among the deep blue ones, giving  _some_ light to the unnaturally dark room.

But they all know that when the morning comes, whoever crashed the night before will wish it was even darker. At least they'll have the silence that lacked the night before, but the headaches they'll get come sunrise feels like punishment enough for the screaming they did during the all-too intense party. Honestly, Max hoped there weren't any lightweights at this party. He didn't know who was on the invite list. He just knew who was hosting this thing. And he knew a couple of people among the strangers that the oh-so great host of this party would invite. And one in particular took his "spiking of the punch" very seriously.

Well, it was nice to have a familiar face in the crowd. A few of them. Most of the kids were from school. It started with Josh and Liam. Then Andrew got word of it. And it all went down-fucking-hill from there, because before he knew it every kid at high school was there.

Max was a simple seventeen year old, yeah? He got good grades. Aced all his classes. Finished fucking senior year. He'd be eighteen when October rolled around,  _god_ knows that'd be a long fucking time, summer had just begun again. This time of the year is when the memories all came flooding the fuck back. He was fifteen when he'd stopped going to Camp Campbell. Fifteen when he'd finally gotten out of the "hellhole". Fifteen when he couldn't go back to that safe place of his anymore.

God, he remembered when he was ten. When all he had to worry about during the summer was planning stupid-ass adventures with Nikki and Neil. Thinking up new ways to break David's cheerful demeanor. Although, he had changed that goal about a month into the summer. Breaking David got a lot less appealing. Max was many things, but an emotional masochist was not one of them (he didn't know if he was a masochist otherwise, though, because right then if you told him to stick his hand into a fire he probably would without hesitation. Then again this could always be his suicidal tendencies acting up), and he'd decided a long time ago that if David had to be the annoyingly cheerful camp counselor he knew, then fuck it, let him be cheerful enough for the both of them. Honestly, a little positivity was all the kid needed in his life.

And he'd gotten said positivity for about five years after he'd realized he didn't need to break David down or show him the world fucking sucked. The asshole knew the world fucking sucked. He just didn't let it make him bitter, so kudos to camp man, right? He knew how to cope better than Max ever could. Hell, these days it seemed Max couldn't do anything but get completely trashed. Though a few kids Max had... "Interacted" - Haha, understatement - with at school begged to differ. He'd even taken Josh out for a test run - Or had Josh taken him out for a test run? Fucked if he knew, literally - That dude was a total asshole, but he'd learned to appreciate Max a bit more after one night.

His life had completely turned around, hadn't it? Max wasn't particularly complaining, though. Honestly, he'd stopped caring. He stopped caring the second that Camp Campbell faded away behind him for the last time. He stopped caring the second it sunk in that he wouldn't be seeing his friends again. Nikki, Neil,  _Nerris_. Max smiled bitterly at the thought of his camp crush, bringing his red cup to his lips and chugging down the bitter liquid. God, had they just laced it with straight  _alcohol_? Good kids.  _Good kids._

He'd stopped caring the moment it became apparent that he wouldn't be going back to his safe place. Camp Campbell was behind him. David was behind him. It was all over. No more plotting schemes, making fun of Dolph and Nurf, teasing Neil for being a nerd, hunting bears with Nikki. No more sneaking into Nerris's castle with the girl late at night to play Dungeons and Dragons. No more violently competing with the Wood Scouts and hating the Flower Scouts. No more safe place, Maxy boy. The next three years were going to be pure torture. And boy, they would have been!

They would have been, if Max hadn't managed to completely shut himself off from the pain. Emotionally, that is. Mentally. Physically, sure, he still felt the pain. He still got the bruises, the marks. But that was on the outside. Inside, his walls were down. Inside, he went dead and cold. Didn't give a fuck anymore. Let them do what they wanted. Ryan needed a punching bag? Alex wanted some fucked-up sex toy? Fine, not like Max could stop them all from doing what they wanted to do. It was going to happen. Why not let it happen? Stop fighting it. It was how it was, get over it.

The only person who could really make him care anymore was Kyle, at this point. His best friend was still at his side, after all these years. Max would always have him, at least. He didn't approve of the shit Max did, though. Didn't approve of him just straight up throwing his life away -  _What life, though_ , Max scoffed -, Didn't approve of him letting everyone else have their way with him. Well, good thing Max wasn't asking him to approve. He got it, Kyle worried for him. But, Max didn't care what happened to him at this point, why should Kyle?

"Ohoho, Maxy boy! You are looking  _good_ tonight."

Max smiled lazily, taking his gaze off of the cup in his hands and turning around. He managed to block out the rest of the noise around him, sizing Liam up curiously. Yeah, Liam had taken him for a couple test runs, too. Max had to admit, he liked him much more than he liked any of the others. Although, he was kind of possessive sometimes. That was alright, though, Max didn't need to remind him that there was enough of him to go around, because the other kids did that themselves. The other boy didn't seem nearly as wasted as Max was right then; If anything, he seemed almost dangerously sober.

"Mm, you don't look nearly as trashed as anyone else..." Max purred, sauntering forward a little. He plucked some lint off the front of Liam's shirt, the other boy silently grabbing his wrist and halting his hand in place. Max gave a half grin, idly quirking an eyebrow at Liam. He was only a couple inches taller; Max could kiss him right then if he really wanted to, but then again, why make the first move? The whole point was to let them have their fun, Max was just along for the ride.

"And you look just perfectly wasted," Liam cooed back. Max almost giggled at his attempt to be seductive; Honestly, how did this guy get laid at all? Max honestly had all his tricks down already. He was pretty good at being a seductive little shit, himself. But, again - Why make the first move?  _Let him have his fun_.

"Just wasted enough?" Max batted his eyes teasingly at Liam; The older boy took the bait. He was pulled forward a little roughly, but at that moment he managed to turn his brain off. He went numb just as Liam's lips pressed to his. The kiss was deep; No real emotion to it, just a possessive, lustful feeling that made Max want to laugh despite the numb, tingling aching feeling that went through him. "I'll take that as a yes." Max mumbled when they'd pulled apart, giving a lazy grin.

"Hell yes," Liam smirked, tilting Max's head up a bit to look at him. Max allowed his head to cock faintly to the side, raising his eyebrows and giving him an amused smile, which was returned easily as Liam spoke again. "So, maybe we should take this somewhere more... Priva-"

"M&M! Glad I caught you!"

Max raised an eyebrow, tearing his gaze away from Liam and turning his head a bit as Kyle bounced up to them. The twenty-one year old seemed unusually cheerful, blue eyes bright and happy and filled with excitement. Which faltered a bit when he saw Max and Liam so close, turning kind of sour as his best friend gave Liam the stink eye briefly. Max wasn't really annoyed - Again, he just... Went with the flow on all of this shit now. "Uh, I got something to show you!" Kyle cleared his throat, turning back to Max, who smirked and winked at him. He hummed, pulling away from Liam and lightly twisting his wrist out of the other boy's grasp, much to Liam's disappointment. And probably anger, but Max's focus was on something else now.

"Sorry, baby. Looks like this is going to have to wait." Max winked at Liam, pursing his lips a little as he turned back to Kyle. His best friend was probably the only one Max really talked to - Aside from the rest of the gang, that is. Although, some of the newer members were happy to try Max out a bit - That didn't buy what Max was selling. Or, not really selling, since it was basically free. Not that Max minded - It was nice to have someone to just talk to that didn't just want to fuck him, but he wondered briefly how Kyle was even holding off this long. Honestly, it almost frustrated Max sometimes - What, was he not good enough or something? Kyle hadn't even given him a shot.

He didn't realize he was moving until he stopped, which was kind of ironic. He looked down for a moment, eyebrows raised as he focused on Kyle's hand, firmly grasping his wrist as Kyle quickly turned back to him, looking a lot less excited than he had been a moment before. "You know he just takes advantage of you."

Max clicked his tongue and tilted his head, smiling at his best friend calmly. Of course he knew that, did Kyle think he was an idiot? That was the whole point. Max didn't care. Let them do whatever the fuck they wanted. "Sure, Kyle. Uh, hello - I'm the puppy here, am I not? Everyone takes advantage of me." He looked Kyle up and down for a moment, ignoring the way Kyle's face fell slightly. And after a moment, Max took a small step forward. "Well, everyone except you, but...~"

"Max," Kyle gently grasped his shoulders and pulled him back. Max groaned a little bit, rolling his eyes, but he shrugged him off and crossed his arms, dropping his attitude for now. Fine, they could pick this up later. "Come on, buddy. You're my friend. I love you and all, but that's just not happening while you're..." He trailed off. "In this state of mind, I guess. 'Sides, you're intoxicated, and you just don't fuck with someone who's intoxicated because their judgement is clouded and that's just not c-"

"Spare me the lecture, Kit Kat." Max's tone dropped, losing the seductive edge he'd previously had and turning to something of more genuine amusement, his smile becoming sincere. Kyle was a good guy. He hadn't changed a bit since they'd first met - Max hoped he never did, in all honesty. "You wanted me, I'm here. So are you gonna tell me why you dragged me away?"

Kyle's face flushed with relief that almost made Max laugh. His best friend's smile returned, matching his with enough brightness to light up the dark fucking room. If Max had a hangover, he'd probably be on the ground covering his eyes and whining about his head hurting. Instead, he just cocked his head to the side and waited for Kyle to speak. Unfortunately, he didn't, and the conversation was dragged out a little longer as the other shifted through his pockets, searching for something. It took about thirty seconds to find it, and he tugged out a worn, crinkled piece of paper that had been folded and balled up beyond belief to make it small enough to fit into his pocket. Max quirked an eyebrow silently, taking a small step forward, this time out of curiosity as he leaned forward to look at the paper, narrowing his eyes when Kyle started to tug it open, flattening it out.

All he had to do was look at the small picture on the corner of the paper. An achingly familiar symbol. Max literally just dropped the cup in his hands and snatched the paper from Kyle before the other boy had gotten it unfolded, straightening it out the rest of the way and scanning it silently, eyebrows pinching together. It was some kind of "help wanted" poster for, drumroll please, none other than Camp Campbell! He recognized David's handwriting anywhere, even after all this time. A small smirk made its way onto his face as he scanned the paper, briefly memorizing the phone numbers scrawled out across the page. He already knew where the camp was, he could get there if he wanted to. He just hadn't had an excuse.

Now he would have an excuse. If he did this, he'd get to go back. See how much his safe place had changed. See how much  _David_ had changed. The kid almost started giggling - Because god, David would see how much  _he'd_ changed, and lord have mercy he would not be impressed. But that wasn't the point. This was his chance. His chance to go back to Camp Campbell.

He'd always said he hated that hellhole, now he was going to purposefully put himself in a position to go back.

Boy, things really had changed. Max smirked and balled the paper up, shoving it down into his pocket and turning to Kyle, who was now beaming from ear to ear, watching Max excitedly and waiting for his reaction. Max gave a small half-grin, walking forward and throwing an arm around Kyle's shoulders. "Forget Liam and getting fucked," he teased, kicking Kyle's foot with his own. "Let's go smoke one last time 'fore I'm gone for the summer, hm? Just like old times."

The smile on Kyle's face  _almost_ warmed Max's cold, dead heart. "Yes!"


	2. Turn It Up, Heat It Up, I Need To Be Entertained

"You got everything, kiddo?"

"Yep." Max narrowed his eyes slightly, unable to move his gaze to Damion. Instead, he just stared around with wide mint green eyes, taking in the familiarity of the woods as they drove. God, it had been so fucking long since he'd come back here - Too fucking long. The familiar scent of pine and- Well, just the basic smell of nature sent him back to his Camp Campbell camper days. God, it all seemed so far away now. He could still hardly believe he was about to go apply for a job at Camp Campbell now. He could have easily called one of the numbers, get in touch with David and ask before getting Damion to drive him all the way up here. But on the off chance that he didn't get the job, he wanted an excuse to just be able to look around one last time before he had to take off. Besides, he wanted to surprise David.

The seventeen year old smirked slightly to himself, drumming his fingers against the seat as he let his eyes flicker around, staring through the window as the trees blurred past. He thought about telling Damion to take it easy and slow down a bit, but at the same time, he was honestly anxious to just get to the damn camp already. So he kept quiet, chewing on the inside of his cheek silently. Damion was probably the only one he was still somewhat scared of. He'd lost his fear for Alex and Ryan. It was always the same with them. Alex did his shit, Ryan beat him, blah, blah, blah. Damion... Well, he did all sorts of things. Max's new no-care attitude once he hit fifteen had skyrocketed considerably, leading to many,  _many_ surprising events, but probably the most shocking thing was him willingly showing up on Damion's doorstep.

He'd been a mess that night, drunk, high, pissed off and desperate. He only vaguely remembered it. He hadn't said a word as Damion led him inside, eerily silent the entire time. His parents had up and vanished for the weekend, and Alex was busy, Kyle was still at rehab. The kid had been tired, wasted, needing a distraction from the emotions. Needing something to make him blank. And his thoughts had turned to Damion, to the last time he'd been around that asshole. At first, it had hurt. But then it all went  _numb_. Numb to the point where he couldn't feel anything for quite some time. Sure, it had come back before, the emotions, the feelings, the thoughts. But he took his chances.

It was probably the first time he'd intentionally put himself into a godawful situation - and lord knows, it was horrible that night. At least... At first, it was horrible. At first, it hurt like hell. But as expected, it steadily went numb again. Max managed to make himself completely detach from everything, from everyone. Pain had turned into... Well, not pleasure. Max couldn't ever imagine himself finding pleasure in any of the shit that happened between him and Damion. But it had become some weird... Drug. Something to ground him, to make him numb again. Damion had kind of taken him in after that. Taught him how to be a good little angel, a good little toy. Max didn't care, he was numb. He just went along with it.

"Hey," Damion's hand was suddenly clasped firmly on his knee, the seventeen year old easily snapping out of his thoughts to turn his attention to Damion, eyebrows raising. "You sure about this, Max? This shit doesn't pay good. We can turn around, I can hook you back up at the club." He smirked at Max, glancing at the road on occasion. "They all adored you last time. You can make easy cash there."

Max didn't even have to consider that. The strip club was fun and all - Well, the music was, to be honest having a lot of people watching him barely dressed and on stage still kind of made him feel just a tiny bit weird, but he was working on that - But he wasn't passing up an opportunity to go back to Camp Campbell. To check out the place, to see David again. Possibly Gwen, too. If she still liked the place. The boy hummed, leaning back a bit in his seat and stretching his arms over his head. "Nah, D," he replied after a moment. "I'll be back at the club after summer. You get your turn," he turned a half amused look to Damion, raising an eyebrow idly. "I'ma have some fun with the camp freaks."

"If you say so, babe," Damion stuck his tongue out teasingly. Max eyed the man for a moment before rolling his eyes toward the window. He didn't particularly like being called that, but hey, no complaining, right? Just go with the flow. The seventeen year old sat back, running his fingers through his dark, curly hair and lighting up just a bit as they finally pulled up to the camp, not hesitating to unbuckle the seatbelt and turn to shove the door open, only to feel Damion's hand grasp his shoulder firmly but gently. "Ah, forgetting something?"

Max groaned, but he released the door handle to turn back, reluctantly leaning up to press a quick kiss to Damion's lips. He didn't give the man any time to deepen it, though, knowing it would probably go further than a kiss instantly. And while he knew he probably needed the numbness because a whole bunch of emotions were about to be unleashed, he was also curious as to what the fuck he would be feeling when he stepped foot into the camp for the first time in a long time. He was rubbing his mouth off when he turned back to open the door, pushing it open and leaping out without a word before reaching back in to grab his bag from the backseat, not even bothering to open the back door. "Bye~" He winked teasingly at Damion before shutting the door, pulling the bag up over his shoulder.

He didn't turn to watch Damion pull off, hearing the rumble of the familiar car fade away behind him. An almost childlike giddiness filled the seventeen year old as he tipped his head back to look up at the sign. The "bell" part in "Campbell" was still slightly faded, it made Max smirk just a little bit.  _Camp Camp._  He mused silently, biting down on his lip as he swept his gaze around. It was rather empty, but that was to be expected, it didn't start for quite a few days. Max knew David usually showed up to the camp early, though. Max took a deep breath and a few seconds to mentally prepare himself before moving forward.

Ah, his safe place. Oddly enough, though, it didn't feel so much like a safe place as it had before. Maybe that was because he didn't need one anymore. Because it didn't matter. Still, so many good memories were made here, right in this camp - A nostalgic smile appeared on Max's face, his expression softening slightly as he looked around. Yeah, it was worth it. He hated kids - Okay, maybe he didn't hate them, but he didn't particularly  _like_ them - And David's cheerful attitude would probably be annoying to keep up with, but just being here was... Worth it.

"Max?!"

Max almost dropped his bag in surprise. The familiar voice hit him like a ton of bricks. Still as high-pitched and childish as he remembered. Still filled with that bright innocence - Or, not innocence... David wasn't exactly innocent, Max knew this - That cheerfulness that Max had tried to break for the longest time. The cheerfulness that was honestly somewhat refreshing now. The seventeen year old sighed, eventually turning. Honestly, he was prepared to see David much taller than him, just like before. So he was beyond stunned to see they were nearly the same height now, David maybe a few inches taller at this point. Max didn't have to tilt his head back completely to look up at him now.

David hadn't really changed all that much. He still had that fiery red hair, of course, and those bright forest green eyes. And that achingly familiar cheerful grin that Max remembered. The seventeen year old tilted his head a bit, sizing him up for a moment. And he hated himself for considering it, for even just a second - No way in hell. Max would have to draw a line there. He'd always seen David as more of a father figure than anything else. Hell, he'd accidentally slipped up and called him "Dad" before a couple times as a kid. If Max was going to be fucked, he'd be fucked by anybody else, but David was an absolute  _no_. The thought came and went without much consideration, honestly. The consideration was dismissed with an ease that surprised even Max, because well, he usually "went with the flow" and saying  _no_ was a completely new experience for him.

In any case, he brushed it off and gave David a cocky little smirk, letting his bag slip from his shoulders to stuff his hands into his pockets, giving David a brief nod. Probably not the best greeting, but he'd never been into the touchy-feely shit. "Heya, camp man. Long time no s-"

"Eeeeeee!" David was bouncing forward before Max could even register what was happening, long, twig-like arms wrapping around Max tightly. The seventeen year old winced slightly out of pure surprised, eyebrows pinching together. Physical affection was something he could go without. At least, genuine physical affection. He only got any of that from Kyle, and even that was rare after Max had told him "you know, unless you're gonna fuck me or something, touching me is just  _teasing,_  man, and that's cold". It had been a joke - Well, mostly, at least - But Kyle seemed to have taken it seriously. He did everything he could to make it clear to Max he didn't ever plan on "fucking him".

It was amusing.

"Oh  _Max_  I've missed you so  _much_! Camp Campbell was just never the same after you left!" David was crying, by the sound of it, and Max just tilted his head back and stared at the sky, arms hanging loosely at his sides and his narrowed eyes tracking a cloud, waiting for the chick-flick moment to end. "And now you're here and you're so tall now and oh my gosh Max I'm so, so happy to see you!"

"Alright, flattered as I am," Max eventually placed his hands on David's shoulders, slowly peeling the man off of him and taking a small step back. But he kept his hands firmly grasping the counselor's shoulders, eyeing David skeptically for a few moments. Honestly, he was just as ecstatic. But Max had never been one to show his emotions easily, and after so long of being completely numb, well, it definitely wasn't an easy thing for the seventeen year old to open up. "Cool your excitement, m'kay? You can get a boner later. I'm here for a job."

David had opened his mouth to respond to that first comment, looking faintly annoyed, a look Max was honestly used to, and a look he'd kind of missed. But his expression turned back to joy at that last sentence, and Max inwardly groaned, stuffing his hands back into his pockets and tilting his head lazily at the camp counselor. "You want to work at Camp Campbell?!"

Max gave a sarcastic smile and a roll of his eyes, letting his gaze flicker around idly. "No, David. I want to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a garbage man and, well, I thought I'd get my "friend"-," he would have done air quotes with his fingers if he wasn't feeling so lazy at that moment. "-To drive me all the way up here just so I could tell you that."

His voice was so deadpan and serious sounding that David just blinked at him, a confused look taking over his expression. Max actually groaned this time, running his fingers through his hair. Still as gullible as ever.

"Goddamn, David, yes, I want to fucking work at Camp Camp- _hell_ , m'kay?" Max narrowed his eyes at David, a clear warning to the camp counselor not to jump up and hug him again. Luckily, David didn't, but his gaze lit up considerably, bouncing slightly in place. Max stared at him blankly for a few moments, watching the man basically seem to vibrate. And when it was clear that David either expected him to speak again, or the man was just too shocked to open his mouth, Max knelt down and plucked his bag back up, walking past him. "I'll be in the counselor's cabin, come talk to me when you've got yourself calmed down a bit, camp man." He called over his shoulder.

Honestly, it was almost like he'd never even left. It was as easy as always to tease David - Too easy, sometimes, god. The seventeen year old smirked slightly to himself, pulling his bag back up around one shoulder and silently kicking the door open - Or, well, mostly just pushing it lightly with his foot - And headed inside, letting his bag drop to the ground beside him. The first person he saw was Gwen, who just turned and gaped at him. Max gave an idle wave, stretching his hands up over his head and cracking his neck a bit, smirking slightly.

When he opened his eyes again, Gwen was still staring, now in disbelief rather than shock. Max quirked an eyebrow at her briefly, tilting his head to the side faintly. "Take a picture, G. It'll last longer." He advised, winking teasingly before sweeping his gaze around. His eyes didn't go very far, though, landing on a group of rather familiar faces that had his smirk freezing in place.

The first two that stood out were Nikki and Neil. Nikki looked about the same, but her green hair was down now rather than in pigtails, curled and bouncing around her face. Her wide pink eyes fixed on Max in silence, excitement slowly creeping up on her face; Max made a mental note to brace himself for another hug any second as his gaze turned to Neil.

Hot damn.

Nerd kid had definitely gone from looking awkward and wimpy. He was actually kind of hot now. Much taller than before, and he seemed to have tamed his wild, curly brown hair, which had lightened up a few shades, kind of blonde-ish. Max took his time looking him over, not so much focused on his expression now, but he was sure it was just as shocked as Nikki's. Another mental note - Try and hit that. He'd probably actually enjoy Neil fucking him, in all honesty. Max smirked, giving him a much more seductive look before turning to the next person.

Ah, Harrison. His old frenemy. The guy he used to despise. Shit, he'd gotten kind of hot, too. The old magician still had his top hat, and he hadn't ditched his usual outfit. What had looked dork-ish and stupid to Max before actually held some appeal now; Like Neil, Max took his time looking him over. And he didn't miss the way Harrison's gaze roamed over him just as shamelessly, either. Max didn't feel the same eagerness as he had while looking Neil over, but yeah, he'd go with it without any complaint if Harrison made a move. Undoubtedly.

Max smirked dryly to himself, bringing his gaze back to Harrison's face. The other boy continued to look him over for a few seconds before his yellow eyes quickly snapped back up to Max's face, widening slightly when he saw Max was meeting his gaze. The seventeen year old simply gave a smirk and a wink before tearing his gaze away, clasping his hands behind his back and turning his gaze to all of them completely. Or, really just Neil and Harrison. Although, he did give Nikki a much more genuine smile, which was returned easily - Max was surprised he wasn't being hugged, she must have been working on her self-restraint.

Max also noticed nobody was speaking. So, he decided to break the silence himself, moving his arms back in front of him to cross them over his chest and giving them all an amused grin, including Gwen, who was still just staring. "Wow, you guys grew up and got hot."

That earned a few laughs from Nikki, who probably assumed he was joking. He wasn't, really. But his attention was mostly all for Neil and Harrison. Nikki was good looking, sure, but Max wouldn't bother with her. He wasn't the fucker, he was the "get fucked", so girls weren't exactly the ones he turned to. Neil snorted a little, letting out a few chuckles, himself.

It was only Harrison who replied to Max, and his words honestly made the seventeen year old grin. "You're one to talk, Max."

This was going to be an interesting summer, wasn't it?


	3. Push The Limit, Are You With It? Baby, Don't Be Afraid

Max smirked slightly to himself, idly tapping his fingernail against the warm wooden floor as he watched David stroll back and forth from room to room, getting everything set up for the new counselors. It seemed Max wasn't the only one who had seen that flier - And just in time, too, huh? The seventeen year old was honestly surprised that David had hired  _all_ of them - How many fucking counselors did Camp Campbell need - But at the same time, he wasn't really that shocked. Leave it to David to find some stupid-ass way to bring the old gang back together. Although, Harrison wasn't part of the gang. But Max didn't really mind. Any other time, he'd want to kick the other boy back to the curb; Now he honestly couldn't take his eyes off him. Or Neil. Wondering which one would make the first move. Or if he had to give it a little push. And if he did, wondering which one needed the push more.

On one hand, he was curious about nerd boy - Neil didn't seem anywhere near as awkward as he had been before. Honestly, he probably wasn't all that bad. So that was that - Max definitely wanted to take Neil for a small test run - Or, get Neil to take  _him_ for a test run. But then there was Harrison, the magic kid. He didn't seem to have changed all too much from when they were kids, but Max knew how Harrison could get if you struck the right cord. He could definitely fuck him straight if he wanted to.

Or, Max mused with a smirk, leaning back. Why not both? Threesomes are fun, right? Max honestly didn't give a shit who made the first move. Or if nobody did. He'd be okay with his mild curiosity going unsatisfied, it didn't really matter all too much. Three months, he could go three months without someone making him numb. The seventeen year old sighed, crossing his legs and leaning back against the wall, tearing his gaze away from the two other boys and instead rooting his eyes to the ceiling.

"I work at a pet store," Nikki broke the silence first; Max was surprised by how awkward she sounded. The silence must have been getting to her - Nikki was never one for silence. The boy hummed in acknowledgement as Nikki settled beside him, looking briefly in the girl's direction. She seemed to have matured quite a bit - Whether this was a good thing or not, Max had yet to see. "I get to work with snakes and giant lizards and all kinds of different, dangerous animals,"

"Sounds fun," Max murmured a bit more dryly than he'd intended, but the words were luckily what Nikki focused on, the girl giving him a bright, warm grin. Max kind of studied her for a moment, his lazy smirk becoming slightly genuine. He hadn't realized exactly how much he missed his camp friends.

"Where do you work, Max?"

"Strip club," Max replied easily, his smirk turning amused at the sharp intake of breath from Neil, and Harrison choking on nothing but air. David stopped in his tracks near them, turning slightly to face them, and even Gwen sat down her book to listen. Max didn't look at any of them, his gaze focused only on Nikki. Watching her innocent eyes flicker as she processed that.

"Like Muffin Tops?" Nikki eventually wondered, and Max gave a small nod, his eyes trailing away for a second at the memory. Ah, Muffin Tops. That had been… Oddly scarring, for some reason. He had definitely not been prepared for what lay beyond those doors, that was for sure. And now that seemed so stupid, considering what he did now. "Ohh, okay! So do you like, run a bar in one of the clubs or something?"

"What?" Max's nose scrunched up at the thought, giving Nikki a look before turning away again, focusing on the ceiling. He could feel everyone watching him now, waiting for his answer. And, just to be the prick he was, he paused dramatically for a little longer than necessary before speaking, giving a careless shrug. "Nah. I'm a  _stripper_ at a strip club." He explained, once more grinning when Harrison choked, this time followed by Neil. Even Nikki let out a squeak of surprise this time. Max didn't even want to  _see_ David's expression.

"Huh… Oh," Nikki mumbled slowly, sounding baffled. Max tilted his head and glanced at her, his mint green eyes sparkling with that dark sense of amusement, a look he must have picked up from Damion. Nikki went silent, tilting her head. The curls tilted along with her, spilling down over her shoulders. Eh, okay, she was pretty attractive. But again, Max didn't go for girls. "Well, lucky for you, that pays pretty good, I think!"

Max laughed at that. The sound wasn't genuine - He wasn't sure when the last time he genuinely laughed was - But there  _was_ sincere amusement in the quiet, mirthless chuckles as he turned his head away. David had resumed what he was doing - Thank god, he'd decided not to comment - Leaving the teenagers to talk it out with themselves. Gwen, however, was now watching with silent fascination, the look she usually had on her face while watching TV. "Yeah, it pays pretty good." He agreed, amused.

"Never took you for a stripper," Neil commented, causing Max's head to roll in his direction, mint green eyes focusing on bright blue ones. That seductive little grin was back in place almost immediately - Almost  _instinctively_ at this point. Well, it was kind of instinctive. Damion had always taught him to go for anybody. Spare a mysterious look, a seductive smirk, have guys falling for you instantly, get fucked before the day's over. It wasn't hard to stick to the routine once it became a regular thing.

The thing that annoyed him, though, was that Neil was unaffected. He didn't even bat an eye. Even Kyle would flush a bright red at the looks Max would give him, but Neil just gazed back obliviously, waiting for Max to respond. The seventeen year old's smile dropped slightly, but he kept it firmly in place, not wanting to raise questions. "Funny, a lot of people think I'm perfect for it."

Neil tilted his head faintly to the side, but he didn't say anything more. Max let himself fall back against the wall, eyeing Neil for a moment before turning his gaze away, back to the ceiling. But his mint green eyes quickly flickered in Nikki's direction when the girl leaned forward to poke his shoulder, lightly tugging on his shirt. "Hm?"

"Have you had sex a lot then?" Nikki pressed, leaning forward toward Max, who blinked. He heard collective groans from both Neil and Harrison, and a soft grumble from Neil that sounded like "you can't just ask that", but the seventeen year old didn't care. He cocked his head faintly to the side at Nikki, staring at her thoughtfully for a moment. He wouldn't quite call it  _sex_. Could it really be called that? Probably not. He understood the question, sure, and technically, the answer would be yes. But at the same time, it wasn't really "sex" so much as it was Max just being fucked.

"Sure," Max eventually replied, not wanting to go into too much detail and confuse the poor saps. The seventeen year old pushed himself to stand, brushing himself off and reaching a hand out to stop David as the counselor started past him again, grabbing David's shoulder and pulling him to a steady halt. "I didn't come here to watch you running around like your head's been cut off. What needs to be done around here?"

"Huh?" David blinked at him cluelessly for a moment, turning fully to face the seventeen year old. Max tried his hardest not to smirk; He didn't have to tilt his head back to look up at him anymore. Fuck you, David. "Oh, okay! Well, um, the mess hall needs tidying, the tents need to be set up, uh-"

"Mess hall," Max released his shoulder, dropping his hands and shoving them both into his pockets. He swept his gaze toward Harrison for a moment, quirking an eyebrow toward the other boy briefly before moving past David. "I'll go do whatever the fuck needs to be done there, then."

"I'll come with you," Harrison had taken the bait; Max bit back a smirk even though he wasn't facing the other boy, glancing back briefly and pushing the door open with his shoulder. Harrison followed him out quickly, seeming almost nervous, but Max simply spared him nothing more than a simple glance as he moved past him and headed for the mess hall. He hadn't been in there in so long, but it was probably exactly the same as when he'd left it. The rest of the camp was, after all.

But Max couldn't think about the camp right then. Harrison was right beside him, and there were many, many ways this could go. Back when Max was about ten, he only imagined him socking Harrison in the face whenever the other boy even came close to him; Now he was imagining the two of them alone, together, in a room… Max bit his lip, silently pushing the door open to the mess hall with his foot and walking inside. "Camp sweet camp, am I right?"

"Huh-? Oh, yeah!" Harrison agreed enthusiastically, almost bringing a chuckle from Max's lips. The seventeen year old paused to look around as the other boy continued speaking. "It's been… A while since we've been back here, yeah. I've missed the camp." Harrison sounded almost sheepish, admitting that. Max just hummed in agreement, glancing around.  _Needs tidying up, my ass,_ he thought, amused. The mess hall was perfectly tidy. There wasn't even dust on the tables.

"Well, this place is… Clean," Harrison mumbled awkwardly from beside him, echoing Max's thoughts. Max hummed in agreement, crossing his arms over his chest and continuing to sweep his gaze around, searching for anything they needed to do in here, which was really nothing. The mess hall seemed fine. "Guess there's nothing for us to do in here, huh?"

"Nope." Max paused, considering. This was the perfect moment. God, he couldn't believe he was about to try and seduce one of his old camp friends. He would never have dreamed of it before, but…  _god, how fucked up am I now?_ He thought, narrowing his eyes ahead at the wall for a moment.  _Forget it. Just remember what Damion taught you. Go for anyone. Don't matter who. Just get close, get fucked, get out, that's what you do best._ Good enough. "Well," Max finally turned to Harrison, putting his seductive little smirk back in place. "I can think of something we could do."

"Oh," Harrison looked a little taken aback at the words, once more letting his gaze flicker over Max. The seventeen year old mentally kicked himself for how uncomfortable it felt, being looked over like that, inspected. It shouldn't feel like that by now. But it didn't matter. Hopefully, Harrison could get in touch with his dominant side and numb Max right up. Since Damion wasn't there, he'd have to do. " _Oh_. Uh, well, I mean, uh…"

"It's an easy yes or no, Harrison," Max lowered his head a bit but kept his gaze completely rooted on the other boy, narrowing his eyes and peering at Harrison through his lashes. "You can fuck me or not. Your call." He could practically see Harrison swallow as the other boy's yellow gaze turned back to him, meeting his mint green eyes silently. He saw it - The longing, the lust the other boys held when they looked at him. But this was different. There was another emotion there. One Max couldn't place. One he wasn't sure he wanted to identify, because it was new. And Max didn't do great with new things. He did great with the routine he'd had set for himself. Even coming to camp was a stretch from how things usually were, he wasn't sure how to respond to the new emotion in Harrison's eyes.

Lust must have won over the hesitation, because Max suddenly felt two hands grab his shoulders, the grip tight and strong as Harrison pulled him back against the wall, pushing him back a bit and pinning him there. Max took a short breath and narrowed his eyes, trying to force himself to go back to the numb state he was used to. It was steadily wearing off, but he could probably pull through it for this. Just try not to let it hurt, it would be fine. It would all be numb soon. Besides, Harrison couldn't possibly do anything to him that hadn't been done before.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself as Harrison leaned forward. But he didn't kiss him just yet, although their lips brushed together slightly. Instead, Harrison just narrowed his yellow eyes slightly, gazing at Max. He still looked uncertain, but a little more confident. "Can I?"

Huh. Funny. They usually didn't ask. Max paused, his gaze flickering down to Harrison's lips for a brief second. His usual sly smile appeared on his face, but by this point, the numbness was beginning to take effect. And thank god for that. "Hey, go ahead, Harry Potter. I'm all yours." He leaned forward a little bit, but he didn't kiss Harrison. No, he didn't kiss first. He just smirked, winking at the other boy. "You do whatever you want."

"Harry Potter?" Harrison arched an eyebrow at him. Max briefly noted that Harrison's fingers were curling into his hair, twisting into the messy curls. Nothing he wasn't used to, but it was kind of different from what he was used to. Honestly, this was all different from what he was used to. Harrison wasn't rushing as Max was used to, as the boys usually did. He wasn't speeding to strip them both. He hadn't even kissed him yet.

Harrison didn't give him any time to respond to the question about the little nickname, instead cocking his head to the side and studying Max for a moment. The seventeen year old wondered why he was taking his time with this, and why he didn't  _mind_ it. "Your eyes are so… Green. Like… Just the perfect green. Like spearmint… It's just… Beautiful."

Okay, compliments. Again, nothing Max wasn't used to, but what startled him was how genuine it was. Max furrowed his eyebrows silently, gazing at Harrison in silence for a few moments before forcing his signature smirk back, cocking his head to the side. "I know this is probably a very chick-thing to say, Trickster, but are you going to kiss me or not?" He purred. A soft chuckle left Harrison's lips, a genuine chuckle, filled with so much warmth that it honestly sent Max's mind reeling again. But it screeched to a halt when Harrison finally pulled his lips against Max's and kissed him.

It was… Soft. Sweet. And god, was it weird. He was used to fiery, passionate kisses filled with lust, possessive and longing. This wasn't like that. Sure, it got a little more intense as it went on, but it stayed warm and soft. Max dismissed it easily, though, squeezing his eyes shut. It would probably get rougher as they continued, no big deal. Harrison pulled back after a little bit, gasping, and Max gave a cocky little smirk as he blinked his eyes open.

" _Wow_."

"Plenty more where that came from," Max assured with a smirk as Harrison's arms wrapped around him, tugging the seventeen year old against the other boy with ease. Max didn't mind; His gaze roamed around for a moment, thinking, before he turned back to Harrison and gave him a small grin. "Now, if we're taking this a little further, I'd suggest we head to the attic," he said sweetly, nodding his head toward the small, pull-out door on the ceiling, the small rope swinging back and forth with the small breeze that blew in through an open window. "Don't want anyone walking in on this, hm?"

Harrison paused and followed his gaze. Max turned back to him expectantly, arching an eyebrow silently as he waited. Luckily, though, Harrison didn't make him wait long this time. "Let's go."


	4. I'ma Hurt'cha Real Good, Baby

" _Hey, Max?"_

_Max didn't say anything, flinching faintly at the sound of Damion's voice despite himself. The fifteen year old went still as he felt the man's arms wrap around him, felt himself being tugged back into a strong, soft embrace. It should have been comforting, but after what had just happened, it wasn't… Really. The boy went silent as Damion held him close. It wasn't like it wasn't consensual, was it? It wasn't like before. Damion didn't force himself on the kid. Max let him do everything without a fight. All to feel numb. But the numbness hadn't set in yet, and god, everything kind of hurt. Well, physically, at least. Emotionally, he did feel numb. Maybe the physical pain would ebb into numbness in it's own time._

" _Why did you come here?" Damion hummed, resting his head against Max's before pulling back, rolling the kid to face him. Max gave him a hesitant look, mint green eyes flickering uncertainly. God, he didn't even know. He didn't know why he came there, pretty much begging for Damion to fuck him._

" _I'll let you know when I find out." Max whispered after a few moments. Damion seemed to accept that answer, pressing a kiss to Max's head. It was probably supposed to be comforting, but no. Max still felt emotionally numb. That's what he focused on, blocking out the physical pain and focusing on the fact that he was numb inside. That was what he'd wanted, and god, it felt good. A few throbs went through his head, the hangover kicking in. God, he'd been incredibly wasted last night. Yet, he remembered every detail. He wanted to cry. But at the same time, he wanted to laugh._

" _Camp's over." Max mumbled numbly, dropping his head to the pillow. There was a soft hum of acknowledgement, Damion's fingers curling through his hair quietly as the fifteen year old continued softly. "Camp's over. My safe place is gone. And it hurts. Everything fucking hurts. I just needed… To feel numb. Just- For one fucking second, I just don't want to feel anything." His voice broke, pain sparkling through his mint green eyes as he angrily rubbed his tears away. God, no. He wasn't going to cry over this._

_Damion sighed softly; Before the teen could react, he was being tugged into a hug, Damion's arms wrapping securely around him, tight, protective. Max wanted to feel safe, god, he wanted to feel as safe as he did at camp. But he didn't. He just. Felt. Numb. "It's gonna be okay." He mumbled, resting his head against Max's. "Hey. What if I told you I can help you make all that pain go away? I can teach you how to be numb."_

_Max frowned slightly at that. It was a great offer. Tempting. God, it was fucking tempting. The fifteen year old inhaled and exhaled slowly. "...How?"_

" _You'll see. But first thing's first, you gotta trust me on this." Damion hummed. Max almost scoffed - Trusting Damion… Okay, not too far of a stretch. He was a man of his word, no matter how awful and vile he was. "Okay?" He prompted. Max sighed, hesitating, but eventually nodded._

_He didn't know what the fuck he was getting himself into, but it couldn't possibly be much worse than the horror movie that was already his life, right?  
_

* * *

Harrison was completely gentle.

Every kiss. Every touch. Every word. It was all gentle. Max didn't understand it. He had told Harrison he could do whatever he wanted with him. He took his time, he was slow, careful, double checking (or sometimes triple checking) before doing something. He was cautious, he was sweet, and for fuck's sake Max was beyond confused. None of what he was doing  _hurt_. It usually always hurt. With anyone else, it  _would_ hurt. But there was no  _pain_  to what Harrison was doing. He wasn't sure what he was feeling the whole time. Some weird, tingly jolts up and down his spine at every touch, weird feelings shooting through his chest with each kiss. But it wasn't painful. None of it was painful.

And when it was over? Max was still in Harrison's arms, the other boy's face silently buried into his curly hair. Max's mint green eyes focused on the ceiling, unable to speak. He was never really left stunned after these encounters. Usually it was the other person left gaping as Max left. But now? The roles had completely turned. Max didn't know how he felt right then. It was… So  _weird_. Because for once, it didn't feel like he'd just been  _fucked_. It felt like  _sex_. Pure, sweet  _sex_ , and holy shit.

He wasn't numb.

It shouldn't have been as alarming as it was. It made his chest tighten with something close to panic somehow, and he couldn't quite place the reason. But he tried not to think about it, inhaling deeply and closing his eyes, easing himself back down into Harrison's arms with a soft, shaky sigh. He had no idea what had just happened. Whether he had liked it or not. What to make of it all. And it was probably really fucked up that he didn't understand that stuff like this could actually be something other than painful, but god damn, Max was pretty fucked up, himself, so did it really matter?

"Hey, Max," Harrison mumbled into the back of his neck, twisting his head around a bit to rest the side of his head against Max's. The seventeen year old let out a soft sigh and blinked his eyes open, silently turning his head around to focus on Harrison. He was smiling slightly, a goofy, happy, sweet little grin. Again, not what Max was used to. He was used to seeing some triumph after, a possessive grin like someone had just won the lottery after they fucked him or something. Not really pure happiness. The boy blinked, confusion twisting through him as he fought to clear the fog in his head. "As much as I would love to lay here all day, we should…"

"Right, yeah." Max shook his head slightly as if that could clear the spinning thoughts. It didn't, but at least now he had something else to focus on. Harrison reluctantly pulled his arms away and rolled over with a groan, bringing one hand over his eyes. Max glanced back at him for a moment before sighing and sitting up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed - silently laughing at Cameron in his head, he'd just had sex on his bed, fuck you Cameron Campbell - and silently reaching to grab his shirt. "So is this going to be a fight club thing? We don't talk about it?" He asked after a moment, straining to put that lazy "don't-give-a-fuck" tone in his voice as he shrugged into his shirt, pulling his boxers and shorts on silently. He grimaced slightly, not turning around as he heard faint shuffling from behind him as Harrison got dressed, looking down as he clipped the buttons together on his shirt, taking his time.

"Well, we don't have to," Harrison replied somewhat cautiously. Max sighed, glancing up and staring ahead blankly for a moment as he stood up from the bed, brushing his shorts off carefully. "If you don't want to, I mean. But I don't mind if we talk about it or not. And if you don't want anyone else to know, that's fine, too."

Max rolled his eyes slightly, sparing a glance behind him. Harrison was, luckily, decent again, just adjusting his vest as he carefully made his way off the bed, standing up and dusting himself off. He still had that warm, goofy smile that Max still couldn't understand; With a groan, the seventeen year old turned away, running his fingers through his hair in a feeble attempt at straightening the curls out a bit. "They're probably going to know, anyway, and quite frankly, I don't care. Them knowing won't change a thing anyway." He paused, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt, although he had finished clipping them together. "Ah… So, was this a one-time thing?"

He could still feel Harrison's gaze on him. Against his better judgement, he spared the other boy a glance; Harrison was watching him carefully, almost as if searching for something. Max was a little surprised to see concern flickering through his yellow eyes. "Do you want it to be?" Harrison asked after a moment, tilting his head at Max. The boy sighed, closing his eyes. God, Harrison really wasn't getting the hint, was he? He couldn't seem to grasp the fact that Max wasn't in charge here. He was so obviously handing over all the control to Harrison, for god's sake, why couldn't he just take it?

"Whatever you want," Max eventually mumbled, stepping around him and walking over to push the door open, carefully, pulling the stairs back down. Truth be told, he didn't know what he wanted at this point. And usually, it wasn't up to him. They all came back for seconds, thirds, as much as they liked. Max wasn't used to having a choice in the matter, and he'd been coping fairly well with not having one. He heard a soft click as Harrison turned the light off, glancing up briefly before slowly climbing back down into the mess hall.

"Well, we don't have to make any decisions now." Harrison told him, following quickly. When they were both back downstairs, Max turned to pull the door shut again, only to see Harrison was already one step ahead of him, easily folding the stairs back up and latching the door shut. Max raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms and standing back as Harrison turned back to him, offering another warm smile. Max bit back a sigh, meeting his gaze silently. "Let's just take some time to think."

Max hummed slightly and turned away, looking around. Some time to think. God knows he needed that. The seventeen year old sighed, glancing around the mess hall before turning to look out the window. It was almost night time - Jeez, time completely just flew right past them, didn't it? It almost made the boy want to laugh, crossing his arms and staring out the window with a neutral expression on his face, eyes narrowed. It was still so weird. How he felt… Everything that had  _happened_ , it was still so weird.

A hand on his shoulder snapped him from his thoughts. About a few years ago he would have jerked away from the touch, and snapped at Harrison to get his hands off of him. Instead, he instinctively melted into the contact, going submissive as he'd been taught. "Hey… Uh, Max?"

"Yeah, Trickster?" Max raised an eyebrow, turning his head to look at him. Harrison looked uncertain now, staring at the boy with a small frown. He was biting down on his lip, shifting side to side nervously, yellow eyes flickering with concern as he searched Max's eyes. Honestly, Max almost found it adorable. And he wanted to smack himself for thinking like that, in all honesty.

"You said you had a lot of sex before, yeah?"

Max squinted at him questioningly for a moment, taking in the worried and uncertain expression on Harrison's face. It took him a moment, but something clicked in his brain rather quickly, a small laugh escaping. "Okay, if you're worried about STDs or som-"

"Nonono!" Harrison interrupted quickly, Max's amused smirk falling to confusion and curiosity as the other boy shook his head, adjusting his top hat with one hand and still holding Max's shoulder with the other. "No, I'm not worried about that. It's just - Well, I don't… I don't know. Before, you didn't really seem like the… Submissive type, I guess? But you kind of just let me take the lead on this," he shifted slightly, staring at Max, who was honestly growing confused. "I just… I don't know, it's a little worrying. You're… Different." There was a small pause. "Max, you would… You would tell me, if something was… Wrong, right? Or, at least tell someone? If someone's hurting you, or…"

Max blinked. Leave it to Harrison to actually kind of figure out what was happening. Sure, he was hurt almost every day. Liam, Josh, someone. Anyone who loved making him scream in pain. But it made him numb instantly after. Why would he tell anybody, exactly? It wasn't like anyone would even believe him. And it wasn't like it was entirely against his will, either.  _He_ made the decision when he went to Damion. He'd chosen what life he was going to get. Even if he was somewhat regretting it, it was how it was, no changing it. "Sure."

"...Okay," Harrison sighed, pulling his hand off of Max's shoulder. The seventeen year old fell silent, turning his gaze away for a moment. Nah, it didn't matter. This was all good. He got the summer to be somewhat free, he could accept that before he had to go back to the life of being a sex toy.  _The life you chose, Maxy boy. Don't forget._ He chided himself, watching Harrison walk across the mess hall to head to the door. "Well, we should get back to everyone else, huh?"

"Yep." That was Max's only reply, his mind taking a few moments to catch up. But luckily, his feet had already began to move, heading after Harrison silently. Once he made sure Harrison had turned away completely, he let his signature grin fall into a frown, confused. Everything was confusing him at this point, and he didn't like it. He'd much rather take the numbness. God, Damion wasn't here. Who was going to strip the emotions away, make him feel numb and dead inside so he didn't have to  _think_ about this shit?

...Maybe he'd try with Neil.


	5. Let's Go, It's My Show, Baby, Do What I Say

Emotions were too complicated.

They were trapping. And weird. And they spun you around until you got dizzy and felt like vomiting. And sometimes they were just downright  _terrifying_. Emotions could freeze you on the spot. Make you second-guess yourself. Backtrack. Regret. Max didn't see the point in any of the emotions. Anger, sadness, regret, guilt. Even happiness - But, Max didn't really feel much of that. But… All of it. It was stupid. There was no  _point_  to feeling, was there? Why did it matter that they could feel things? Soon they'd all be dead, and they wouldn't be feeling anything. Anything except the deep, dark numbness. Max could still feel it, flashing back to all those years ago. The pill bottle slipping from his little eight year old hands as he crashed to the floor, hitting the cold tile. Briefly feeling the burning pain numbing away, feeling it all numbing away as the dizzying darkness took him in.  _That_.  _That_ was what he would like to feel again. Because god, it had been pure bliss.

And feeling fucking sucked. That's why Max was on the floor with his back to the wall, knees up to his chest as he spun a beer bottle in his hands. He'd never taken David for someone who stocked beer up in the counselor's cabin. But after everyone else had fallen asleep, David had slipped from his room and spotted Max still sitting in the main room of the cabin, counting each wooden board in the ceiling. And he'd disappeared back into his room for a moment, coming back with one bottle of alcohol, which he handed to Max before settling beside him.

He had his own bottle. Max had checked. It was root beer. Typical fuckin' David. Luckily, though, Max's was pure alcohol. And thank god for that. Since the boy didn't know how much David would be willing to give him, he took his time with the bottle, pacing himself by taking a few sips at a time and stopping. They sat in silence; Max wasn't sure if he hated it or if he was grateful for it. Whether it was making him crazy, or whether he'd just always been crazy. Judging by his recent choices, he was leaning more toward the latter. Part of him wanted to blame someone else. David, for instance. For not sending him a "help wanted" flyer sooner. Or his father - Ryan could easily be traced back to the root of all his issues. Alex, too. They were a little easier to blame. Damion… Well, honestly, yeah. Damion played a huge part in the "fuck Max up" ordeal.

The other part of him blamed himself. Nothing new. He'd put himself in this situation, after all. Maybe he'd gotten a few pushes in this direction to help him on his way, but in the end, he was probably always going to end up here. Considering the seventeen year old's past, it wasn't too surprising. Max wished he knew what he was feeling right then. If he had to feel, he wished he could at least place what emotions he was actually feeling. But, he couldn't.

He really needed to be numb. He put the bottle to his lips and took a sip, rolling his eyes toward David. Again, the consideration was there. David reminded him of Damion in many, many ways. The camp counselor could probably make him numb, right? But, again, he dismissed the thought. Father figure, Max. Don't throw away one of the few good things you got left in your life. His feelings toward David hadn't changed - He both hated and loved the man. Platonically. As annoying as he was, he was the father figure Max had never had. Even after two years.

"Everyone's changed." Max mumbled, mostly in an attempt to break the silence. David gave a small hum of agreement in response, and Max frowned and continued. "Nikki's less energetic, Harrison's - Okay, Harrison's still Harrison. Neil's hot…" He listed, cocking his head to the side and staring ahead. He heard a soft snort and a few giggles from David, prompting the seventeen year old to turn his head around to spare him a confused look, quirking an eyebrow silently. "What?"

"It's just," David smiled at him, warm and affectionate; Max blinked back silently, feeling a weird, warm rush shoot through him. Some weird, happy, safe feeling he couldn't quite place. It felt… Off. But it brought back memories of how he felt before. When he was ten, without a care in the world. "I dunno, you say  _Neil's_ hot, but you didn't disappear with  _him_ to gosh knows where for hours."

Max honestly was a little taken aback by that. Holy shit, was this really David? The boy cleared his throat, not knowing whether to feel annoyed or impressed at this point. He settled on trying not to feel anything at all, which didn't really work out for him,  _since he wasn't fucking numb god dammit_. The boy shook his head to clear the thoughts, bumping David's foot with his own and turning his gaze back to the ceiling. "Well, Harrison was there, Neil wasn't. We'll see where it goes with him tomorrow." He looked toward where Neil's room was briefly, narrowing his eyes faintly.

"Mm." David hummed briefly in acknowledgement, taking a sip of his root beer. It went silent again for a few moments until David shifted to face Max, his forest green eyes meeting Max's mint green ones silently. Max tilted his head a bit, staring at him. Honestly, he could feel his heart stutter to a faint stop, uncertain now. Oh, god, if David made a fucking move, what was he supposed to  _do_? Let it happen? He definitely didn't want  _David_  of all people fucking him. Not his father figure, no fucking way. The boy sucked in a breath and held it, glancing away for a moment.  _Just don't make a move, David, c'mon…_

Luckily, David didn't. Thank fucking god. "So, when did you become a… Uh, a… Y'know…" He trailed off awkwardly; Max almost laughed. Yeah, he probably wasn't going to try anything. The man couldn't even say "stripper", for fuck's sake.

"Stripper?" Max tried helpfully, glancing at David, who nodded in relief, looking away. Max laughed a little, running his fingers through his curly hair as he sat back, rolling his head to the side to look toward the wall. Good question, actually. "Eh, I dunno. Few weeks 'fore I turned sixteen?" He hummed thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes a bit and staring at the wall. The was a small noise of surprise from David, kind of like a humming sound.

"That's kind of young to be a- Well, y- you know."

"I'm seventeen, dipshit." Max deadpanned, quirking an eyebrow at David. Kind of young to be a stripper… Nah. He wouldn't have gotten the job if he was too young…. Then again, Damion did say he had to pull a couple strings to get him in. And nobody else there had been his age when he started out… The seventeen year old paused, his usual smirk faltering for a second before he forced it back in place, taking a small sip from the beer. No big deal. "Eh, whatever. I'm almost eighteen anyway."

"Yep." David sighed, giving him a soft, warm smile. Max gave his usually cocky grin back, turning his head to glance around the dimly lit cabin in silence. It was a few moments before David spoke again. "You know, Max, you smile a lot more now."

Ah, he did. Instinct. Damion always told him to smile. Give his best appearance. It was just a habit now. "Yeah."

"Are you happy?"

Max blinked, not expecting that. He turned his gaze to David for a moment, pausing with the beer bottle just inches to his lips, and lowered it down slightly, considering that. Was he happy? Not really. But he'd learned that his happiness wasn't the point here. He wasn't there to enjoy himself, was he? Nope. He was there for other people's enjoyment. That's all he'd learned. So, did it matter if he was happy or not? Not at all. But David wouldn't agree with that, would he? The seventeen year old paused, struggling for the answer that would raise the least questions. Something convincing that wasn't… Exactly a  _lie_. But the truth wasn't an option. He didn't want David to think he needed his help or something. And he didn't. He was… Well, he wasn't okay. But he was as okay as he was going to be.

David's smile had faded, Max noticed, by the time he managed to pull himself back into reality. His green eyes now flickered with something akin to worry, searching Max's mint green ones as the seventeen year old hesitated over his answer. "Should I take the silence as a no?" He turned completely to face Max, crossing his legs. "Hey, if-"

"No." Max's lips moved before his brain did, quickly spitting the word out. Almost monotonously, but Max didn't mind - David paused, waiting for him to continue, not continuing whatever sappy shit he was about to get into, much to the seventeen year old's relief. The boy puffed his cheeks out, looking down and running his thumb across the rim of the bottle, mouth twisting slightly as he considered what to say now. After a few moments, he sighed, taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment. "I'm about as happy as I'm going to get."

"Is that a good thing?" David pressed. Max honestly thought about snapping at him to ask him an easier question, but he held off, biting his tongue - Literally - And narrowing his eyes down at the beer bottle. He wished David didn't know him as well as he seemed to. Of course, camp man didn't know him completely, but he seemed to know more than Max had bargained for. You'd think, after two years, it'd be harder for David to read him, right? But no. Open book.

He also wished David would stop acting like he was fragile. Like he'd just shatter apart like glass at any second. The old Max would have snapped, thrown the beer bottle at David and marched off, close to tears. Now, Max just sat in silence, turning the beer bottle over in his hands and honestly somewhat wishing he was close to tears. It was funny, how he wished he could be numb one minute, and then the next, he was wishing for the emotions. Because the emotions might make this easier. It was harder to know what to say when he felt numb like this. Then again, he'd never really known what to say, had he?

But he wasn't going to fall apart in David's arms. He wasn't going to start crying to the camp counselor about how horrible his life was, how he wished he could turn it all back, go back to his camper days. Whatever vulnerability he'd once had was - Hopefully - Gone now. Sure, it still hurt a bit, but he wasn't going to break down over it. Breaking down never got him anywhere, after all.

Max sighed, a little quicker to respond to David this time, and making sure his voice was just as monotonous as before, not really wanting to spark up any concern with how hesitant he felt inside. "It's fine, David." He stared David down, narrowing his eyes slightly at the older counselor's uncertain look. "I'm fine." Okay, a little white lie never hurt anybody.

David shook his head a little, unconvinced. Max took a few seconds to prepare himself for what was probably about to turn into a chick-flick moment, turning his head away to look around as he waited for David to speak. "I'm here for you, Max. You know that, right?" David finally managed, sounding unsure of himself even as he spoke. "You can talk to me." He added carefully. Max didn't say anything, didn't turn back, feeling David's gaze still fixed on him. Honestly, he was a little surprised by how much those words angered him.

_You're here now, David. Where were you when I actually needed you?_

No, unfair. He couldn't go blaming David for any of this. He did this to  _himself_. Desperate and panicking and afraid and lonely, he'd gone to Damion,  _he'd_ put himself in that situation. Max tried to console himself, tried to defend David in his head, but even now, there was that soft, childish voice in the back of his head, that pessimistic side bubbling up that told him David still should have been there. Even if that was basically impossible, he should have been there. Max took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to force the anger and uncertainty down. Fuck, these were emotions he hadn't had to deal with for a long time, emotions he'd been able to fight with the numbness he didn't have right then. He was definitely not ready to face them, not right now.

He was speaking without his permission, his voice betraying the pure, bitter rage simmering just below the surface. Venom laced his words, sending himself spiraling back to his old Camp Campbell days, back when he'd actually tried to be a little shit. Now he didn't have to try. "Don't say that."

"What?" David now sounded confused, innocently confused, which really just fueled Max's anger. The boy grimaced, his fingers curling loosely around the neck of the bottle as he squeezed his eyes shut a little tighter, willing the darkness to take him over and pull him back into the numb state he was so aching for right then.

" _Don't_ say that." The seventeen year old repeated, with just as much venom, if not more, lacing the words. This time, he didn't stop with that sentence, though. No, because Max had to be overdramatic and stupid and go all out when he lashed out. He did, after all, have two years to make up for, didn't he? "I'm seven-fucking-teen, David, I don't need someone "there for me". And I don't need someone to "talk to". If I needed to talk, I'd go to a goddamn therapist, not my old fucking camp cou-"

"Whoa, Max," David cut him off, sounding worried and confused. The boy tensed slightly when he felt David's hand touch his shoulder, the grip firm and…  _Grounding_. The contact reminded him too much of Damion; Max felt the emotions spin away instantly, the blissful numbness returning. If only for a second, because David's next words sent them spiraling back. "It doesn't matter if you need it or not, Max, I'll always be here for you. I'm always going to be here for my favorite camper." He squeezed Max's shoulder lightly before pulling away. "I only want what's best for you."

"Yeah?" Max grimaced slightly, his tone taking on a bitter edge now. About as bitter as he felt, which honestly was a  _lot_ of bitterness. He didn't think. He didn't think about what he was saying next, turning around to face David and finally blinking his eyes open to fix him with a glare. That smile he'd so mastered was gone, turned into the scowl from his ten-year-old days. "Then fuck me."

 _God_ he needed to think before he spoke. What the  _fuck_ had he just said to his  _father figure_ , of all  _fucking_ people? He really was fucked up.

David's expression turned to complete shock, maybe a little bit of horror mixed in, Max didn't know. He didn't care. He wasn't thinking. Honestly, he was regretting the words as soon as he'd said them, shoulders tensing slightly as he mentally prepared himself for David to do something - Anything. Whether that something was to get up and walk out, or David to actually, well, make a move. He liked the first option a lot better. Then again, he really did want that numbness back. " _What_? No, I- Wh- Why would I-"

"Why wouldn't you? Everyone else does," Max seethed, turning away from him for a few moments. His mint green gaze flashed toward the door. He needed to get the fuck out of there. Call Damion to come pick him up. Did his phone even have service here? Fucking  _hell,_  he was regretting his decision big time. The strip club was better than this, at least he fucking felt  _numb_ there, at least he didn't have to deal with the complicated feelings there.

"Wh- But that's- Max, I'm not a- Oh my god," David honestly sounded like he was on the verge of a panic attack, his voice high-pitched with disbelief - Maybe a little disgust, too, he wasn't sure. Max was sure if he turned back at that moment, his eyes would be as wide as saucers. But he didn't turn back, because no, he didn't want to see his expression. "You are- You are the last person I'd want to- Oh my god-"

" _Wow_  I don't know whether to be offended by that or not!" Max interrupted, trying to laugh, but the sound stuck in his throat. Honestly, it was relieving. Really fucking relieving. So, David and Kyle, huh? The two people in this world who actually didn't want to fuck him. The boy took a deep breath, setting the water bottle down and running his fingers through his hair. It was a nervous habit now, and it felt almost numbing, because it reminded him of Damion. "Fucking Christ…"

"Nonono that's not- That is  _not_ what I meant I just- Max- You- You are seventeen-" David was stumbling over his words desperately in his attempt to explain. The comment about him being seventeen made the boy groan, tangling his fingers into his hair.

"No fucking  _shit_ , sherlock."

"A- And I'm- I'm thirty-one, you're just a k- kid and not only that you're like a son to me and oh - oh my god I j- just, I-"

"David, calm the fuck down!" Max snapped, a little louder than he intended. The seventeen year old winced slightly, looking up and sweeping his gaze toward the rooms, eyes drifting briefly over the closed doors. After a few seconds, he dropped his gaze again, taking a deep breath and continuing to twist his fingers through his hair, grip on the messy curls tightening with each second that passed. "God  _damn_ camp man, calm your fucking tits, would you? Jeez!"

"I'm sorry," David responded a little too quickly, but at least he had stopped rambling and stuttering. Max exhaled softly and dropped his head into his hands as he finally stopped moving his fingers, almost worried they'd get lost in the curly mess. His mind ran over David's words, deciding to address the "you're like a son to me" at a later date and instead focusing on the "you're just a kid" part.

"What, age suddenly matters?" Max spat out. He didn't realize his mouth was moving. His brain was spinning too fast, he didn't even realize he was speaking  _out loud_  at this point, half-trying to stop the scrambling mess of his thoughts and half just trying to shut everything off. He was usually good at shutting his brain down, why couldn't he stop it now?

"Of course it matters!" David sounded appalled; Max shook his head, moving his hands over his ears in a desperate attempt to block him out. It didn't work. If anything, it made David's voice fucking  _louder_ somehow. Either that, or he was just raising his voice to get Max to actually  _listen_ to him. His thoughts whirled. "That- That's pedophilia, Max! It's illegal and it's  _wrong_  and adults shouldn't- Adults should never have- Not with- Not with  _kids_ -"

"Oh,  _oh_ , thanks for the fucking lesson!" Max snarled out sarcastically, yanking his hands away from his ears. Of course he fucking knew that - Took him a few years to realize it, but David was now just spouting shit he already knew. Whatever, it didn't matter, and Max had to get the fuck out of there before he actually did  _snap_. The boy snatched the beer bottle up, pushing himself to stand. "Let me just call my dad and my uncle and let them know, because they obviously haven't gotten that memo yet!"

"Wh-  _What_?" David's tone went from disbelief to terrified concern in an instant, the man scrambling to stand. Max paused for a second, his eyes widening faintly as he ran over what he'd just said, what he'd just let slip. The boy swallowed, ignoring the lump rising in his throat. No, he wasn't crying over this, this was stupid. This was so fucking stupid, it wasn't worth the tears, it wasn't worth the emotions. The seventeen year old spun around to head for the room David had told him was his, the only place he could think of to go right then. No use going outside with the bugs and the bears - He was desperate, but not that desperate.

A firm hand snapped around his wrist, pulling the boy to a sharp stop. Max winced slightly, almost dropping the beer as he was pulled back, but he managed to keep his grip on it tight, whirling around to face David as soon as the man grabbed him. " _David-_ " He started warningly.

"Just hold on for one  _fucking_ second, Max!"

Max faltered, his anger dissolving into disbelief when David cussed. Camp man had only cussed in front of him a few times. He despised profanity, that's why Max cussed so much - Just to get under his skin. So hearing him using such foul language snapped Max to his childhood days, the little kid in him singing  _uhhh ohhh David cussed and you just fucked uuuuuuuuup~_ "...Language." Max whispered, dropping his gaze to the vice-like grip David had on his wrist, tense and waiting.

"Language can  _wait_ ," David insisted, tugging him forward a little bit. Max sighed, rolling his gaze back to look David in the eyes, seeing absolutely nothing but horror, fear and concern on the man's face. The seventeen year old shifted slightly, looking down and twisting his wrist a little bit, a half-hearted attempt to get David to let him go. He didn't. "Your dad- And your uncle- What did you mean by- by that, Max?"

"David," Max muttered, eyebrows pinching together as he squeezed his eyes shut, his free hand silently moving to run his fingers through his hair. No, this wasn't what he thought would happen his first day back at camp. This was  _not_ what he had  _intended_ to happen, not at all. He hadn't taken into account the chick-flick moments, the sappy, feelsy shit these idiots did. Because Max was an idiot, himself, wasn't he? And he'd completely fucking forgotten how Camp Camp-hell even  _worked_. And because of that, he'd been completely unprepared for this roller coaster.

"Max." David retorted, his voice a little firmer now, a little more stern. An odd tone, Max realized, but not one he wasn't used to hearing. Just kind of rare for David's usually sweet-tempered, almost annoyingly cheerful tone. Max exhaled, reluctantly blinking his eyes open. His fingers once more tangled into his hair, the other hand curling into a small fist as he once more twisted his wrist, trying to break free. No such luck. " _Please_ , kiddo. You can  _talk to me_ , I  _told_ you this. I'm here for you."

"Are you?" Max gritted his teeth slightly. He didn't raise his voice again, but he didn't stop the bitterness from rising back into his tone, giving David a cold look. David flinched away slightly from whatever anger was flickering through his eyes, but he didn't release the seventeen year old. "Oh, well, isn't that great. I guess my camp counselor is my therapist, then. Well, if we're doing this, where should I start? Wait, no, I know. We'll start with my fucked-up father! Turns out the best punching bag is a kid, yeah? I was four- No, maybe five, when it started. I don't know, I lost track." He gave another hard twist; This time managing to pop free as David's grip loosened. "And of course when he wasn't in the mood to hit, well, what better way to make a kid scream than by fucking them silly until they pass the fuck out, right?"

"M- Max," David looked absolutely  _mortified_ ; Honestly, it was horrible, absolutely horrible, but Max kept going anyway, just to see how much he could push the man before he actually stopped him from speaking.

"And then my uncle. Ooh, yeah, let's talk about the pedophile! You know what's funny? Turns out being jerked off by your own uncle isn't a normal sixth birthday present! Wish I'd found that out sooner," Max forced a laugh despite the fact that his throat was closing up. It would probably be a lot easier to talk about this if he was numb, but no, the emotions were full force right then. Making up for lost time. And, to his horror, he realized the hot tears were slowly pooling in his eyes, which were honestly beginning to sting at this point. Desperate, he screwed them shut, taking a deep breath. " _Hilarious_ , isn't it?"

" _No_ , Max, it's  _not_ ," David mumbled. Before Max could react, or even respond, or even brace himself, he was being pulled into a hug. Truthfully, it almost made him break down right then and there, almost made the tears come at full force. Max didn't move to hug him back, but he didn't push him away at first, either, taking the time while David couldn't see his face to try and compose himself, willing the tears to go away. David kept his arms around Max long enough for him to control himself, luckily enough, and once the kid was sure he wasn't on the verge of a breakdown, he pulled away from David, his hands on the camp counselor's shoulders and pushing David back as much as possible.

"Yeah, well, hey, I'm over it." Max gave a tiny, bitter little smile, grinding his teeth together and taking in a slightly shaky breath, his hands curling into fists. He had to get the fuck out of there, because if he was going to have a breakdown, it was  _not_ going to be in front of David. "It got a lot better when I just accepted it. Hey, I'm a sex toy, what the fuck can I do?"

"No, Max-" David reached out, once more grabbing the boy's wrist, this time a little more gently than before. Max grimaced slightly, but he didn't move to pull away again, shaking his head silently and sweeping his gaze around to ensure he hadn't woken anybody. He hadn't. Either that, or they were just listening beyond the safety of their closed doors, either way, Max didn't give a fuck. He'd already spilled all this shit to David. It was a wonder he'd managed to keep everything about Damion to himself. "Max, you're not… You're not a sex toy. What they're doing- What they're doing is completely  _wrong_."

" _No_ ," Max murmured sarcastically, giving David an annoyed look. Again, he was just telling him shit he already  _knew_. "Aw, well, looks like I figured that out too late. Doesn't that just suck?" He gave a soft, mirthless chuckle, looking down and once more twisting out of David's grasp. "I shouldn't have come here. I'm… I've gotta call Damion to come pick me up or something, fucking hell…"

"Damion?" David asked tentatively, as if he was afraid of setting the boy off again. Good, be afraid, David, be very fucking afraid, because Max was as unstable as ever right then. "Who's… Damion?"

"Oh, Damion's the guy that fucked me up when I was eight," Max replied bluntly, narrowing his eyes at David slightly as the man's expression changed. "Yeah, you remember, right? The year I wasn't at camp. Rehab! Oh, that was fun. Because apparently rehab is where they send eight year olds who almost accidentally die from overdose. Did you know that? I didn't know that, unfortunately," God, the sarcasm was still kicking. Max was almost comforted by it - At least he still had that. That hadn't changed all that much. "And being the masochist I am, I went ahead and put myself  _right_ in the path of torture when I was fifteen and went ahead to the house I was locked up in for three days when I was younger and now my old tormenter is basically my best friend, I'm a little stripper sex slave, and- And…" Max's bitter smile was fading fast as he spoke. When it was all in his head, it was easier to look past. But now it was sinking in, the words making it so much more real. "God… I'm fucked up, aren't I…?"

"Max… No, you're  _not_. None of this is your fault." David insisted, reaching out to pull him into another hug. This time, Max shifted to lean back, his hand snapping up against David's chest to push the man back when he tried to move forward, his mint green eyes flashing up and hardening into a warning glare. David got the hint, stopping in his tracks, but he did once more grab onto Max's wrist. "Okay, no hugs, got it. Max, listen to me. You're not… Effed up-" Max almost snorted, hey, David was back. "-This situation is, your father and uncle and Damion are, but  _you_ are  _not_. I'm  _so_ sorry, Max, I'm so sorry you had t- to go through all of… Th- This."

Max studied the older counselor for a moment. The man, surprisingly and yet unsurprisingly, looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment. Max wished he knew why. Sure, he'd spent his own time crying over it before, and yes, he had been about to break down just a moment ago, but it wasn't any point in wasting tears over it. It was stupid. And nothing was going to change the way things were now, so it was better for him to just ignore it. Don't waste time crying over something that can't be fixed, right? And that's why David didn't need to spend his time sobbing over Max. He was broken. Always had been, always would be. And he couldn't be fixed. Not now - He was way too far gone, wasn't he?

"Me too." Max replied after a few moments of silence, his voice back to monotone and his movements mechanical as he turned away, trying to twist himself out of David's grip once more. But the hold tightened, halting Max, although the seventeen year old didn't turn back. He let out a slow, shaky sigh, squeezing his eyes shut tightly for a moment. Whatever was going to happen now, he was completely dreading it.

"Look, just-" David was scrambling for words again; Max could practically hear him pushing his tears back, trying to take charge of the situation. That was funny - David trying to take charge. But since Max was the submissive one who let others take charge now, he decided to give the older camp counselor a shot, reluctantly turning back to face him. "Just... Don't call anyone, alright? Not tonight, at least. I think… We both need to talk about this, Max. The situation you're in- It's… It's wrong. And… I want to help you out of it." Max's eyebrows shot up silently in surprise. "Please, Max. Give me a chance to help you.  _Please_?"

Max went silent, staring at him. David had good intentions, sure. His heart was in the right place. Max knew this, the fucking bastard was a saint, whatever. But Max really didn't think there was any hope for him left. He'd given up that a long time ago, and he didn't know if there was a chance in hell he could get it back. So the chances of David being able to "help him" and get him out of this "situation" - God, he made it sound like Max was in an abusive relationship or something- Which, well, he kind of was, but… Not the point. The chances were slim to none. There was nothing  _left_  for him. He was just letting it  _happen_. Letting everything happen, going with the flow…

 _So why not let this happen._ Said the tiny voice in his head, the same one that had got him into all this fucked up shit in the first place, the one Max had a habit of listening to. The silence stretched on for a few long minutes, Max and David just staring at each other. David looked anxious, studying Max's face, but the seventeen year old wasn't really looking at him at this point. The boy took a deep breath and turned away, giving his hand a hard jerk and wrenching himself out of David's grip. Max didn't stick around to see his expression, silently moving toward his room. Funny, he almost felt…

Numb.

"Goodnight, David."


	6. Don't Trip Off The Glitz That I'm Gonna Display

Max stared up at the ceiling with a blank expression on his face, wishing he actually felt as numb as he looked right then. He didn't. His brain was whirling already, and he'd only woken up a few minutes ago. His mind spun over the events of last night, his mouth twisting slightly, grimacing as he pulled the blanket up over him a little more to cover his mouth. He hadn't expected the night to take the turn that it had. He had definitely not planned on spilling everything to David, and he certainly had not planned on David even remotely believing any of it, not had he planned on David trying to  _help_ him. Sometimes, Max wished he could understand emotions a little better. But it was  _rare_  for him to get any real, genuine affection, for someone to look at him with such caring, such compassion and concern and…

And it just shut Max down. It turned his brain off, it sent the gears in his head screeching to a halt. He didn't know how to react to it, his mind didn't know what to make of it, so it responded by shutting down. Max wondered if it was really always going to end up this way. He wondered if he was always intended to end up here, staring up at the ceiling of the Camp Campbell counselor cabin, wishing he was back at a strip club, being some toy for someone who wanted a quick fuck. Because at least that didn't send him into a confused, frightened mess. And he wondered if there had ever been any way for him to avoid ending up like this. Like maybe somehow there was a chance in hell this all could have been avoided. Maybe if he hadn't showed up at Damion's door that night. Maybe if he'd told David everything sooner. Then again, he'd probably have been put with someone w- Okay, yeah, that was a stretch. Literally nobody could be worse than Ryan. Even Damion, horrible and sexually abusive as he was, the man had never hit him. Never beaten him. Max used to have hospital visits almost every other week when he was actually staying with his father. For lots of different things. Broken rib or two, almost dying from having bleach poured down his throat, a couple almost fatal overdoses…

How the fuck was he in Ryan's custody for so  _long_?

That wasn't the only thing, though. It was no surprise that Max was extremely malnourished in Ryan's care - Or lack of. But now, he was actually doing pretty well as far as health went. Damion actually  _fed_ him, gave him all the things he needed. Honestly, Damion fucking spoiled the kid. If he wasn't a major pedophile that had completely ruined Max's entire fucking life, Max probably would actually like the guy a little bit. But, since he, again, had ruined Max's entire fucking life, the kid would always hold some sort of negative feeling towards him. A lot of negative feelings. Anger, fear. But, he couldn't deny that the man treated him good, for the most part. He wasn't happy, but he'd never really been happy. The only time he'd ever actually felt pure joy in his life were probably the summers spent at Camp Campbell. And even then, knowing he'd have to go back to his own personal hell eventually kind of took all the fun out of that.

He wished he knew if he was better off this way. Being a stripper. A sex toy. A puppy. He wished,  _god_ did he wish there was some way he could know the other options. What else he could have  _been_ , how else his horrible excuse of an existence could have turned out. But there wasn't a way - Max would have to take his own word for it and say he would've been miserable anyway. That wasn't too much of a stretch - He would've been just as miserable - If not more - with Ryan, because, well, Ryan didn't make him numb. Alex didn't make him numb. It was pure pain with those two. At least Damion could make him blank, make the pain feel much more far away.

A buzz from his phone distracted the seventeen year old from his thoughts, idly rolling over onto his side and reaching out for the phone numbly. Oh, that was another thing to add to the mental list of "Why-Damion's-Better-Even-Though-He's-A-Total-Prick". Damion actually got him a phone. Though, he wasn't quite sure how useful it really was - He really only texted Damion. Well, sometimes he texted Kyle, too. Or Tommy. Some other members of the gang. Josh, Liam, but they weren't all that important… Whatever. Point was, he had a phone now, so, yay? The seventeen year old sighed and rolled back over, pulling his phone up over his face and swiping his thumb over the screen to unlock it, clicking on the new text message he had.

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _SO HOWS CAMP CAMPBELL BRAH_

Max almost smiled - Almost. The added "brah" at the end had his lips twitching up faintly, but his expression didn't really move past that, sighing. He reluctantly brought his free hand up to the other phone, considering for a moment. What exactly could he tell Kyle? The truth, probably. He was his best friend, and he told Kyle everything. Well, almost everything, but that wasn't the point. And, he kind of needed someone to vent to, and Kyle didn't really mind it when Max ranted to him about shit. Well, he didn't used to. Max didn't really rant anymore, so this was about to surprise the hell out of Kyle. His thumbs ghosted over the keyboard for a moment before he finally began tapping out a response.

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Cool ur tits weirdo_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _:O who gave you the right to speak of my tits that way_

Okay, that one actually brought a smile to Max's face. He pursed his lips a bit, almost in an attempt to turn the smile into a frown, but after a few moments he gave in, letting himself relax a bit as he sighed and replied.

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Shut up K I need to vent_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Whoops look at the time gotta shower and get ready for work-_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Lol homie I'm kidding lay it on me :D_

Max shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, hesitating. He could still turn back now, but he really did want to get this all off his chest while he had the chance. The seventeen year old bit his lip, eventually blinking his eyes open and staring at the phone for a moment. He could brush it off, make something up and go on with the day. It would be easy. But maybe Kyle could tell him what to do about the situation, since Max was still a little wary on making decisions himself. The boy grumbled slightly under his breath before pushing himself to sit up, leaning forward a little and beginning to type.

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Got drunk and told tree fucker everything about the douchebags and he wants to "help me"_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _YAS BBY_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Kyle_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Mkay mkay srry I mean uh_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Wait a fucking second you got drunk without me_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Just a little tipsy u moron is that all u got from that sentence_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _I have selective hearing_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Ur literally reading words on a screen rn Kyle_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _I have selective reading :O_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _And I think you were the wrong person to talk to about this_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Nonono I'll b serious lemme think you goof_

Max sighed softly and dropped his phone onto his lap, silently leaning forward and running his fingers through his hair. His eyes drifted toward the closed door for a moment, already hearing the others shuffling about, getting ready for the day. Early risers. Max was used to waking up this early anyway, so it wasn't a big deal for him, but he could hear them grumbling about. Mostly Neil, who was whining for coffee. God, coffee sounded so fucking good right then; The reminder of the caffeinated drink snapped him into a slightly grumpy mood, as if his brain had just now realized "hey, you just woke up and you haven't had coffee yet you need to be more pissed than you are".

Honestly, he didn't need coffee as much. He was never as tired as he used to be with Ryan - Because he didn't have to stay up every night, in agony and terror and waiting for the pain to die down so he could fall asleep. He fell asleep easy most nights in Damion's house, almost peaceful. It probably would be more peaceful if he wasn't fully aware that he was living with a pedophile that just wanted to fuck the shit out of him, but Max couldn't complain, because it was a better life than he'd had before, wasn't it?

But his sleep last night had been restless and uncomfortable, spending at least three hours staring up into the darkness of the room before finally breaking down into silent tears. The crying had, luckily, exhausted him enough to fall asleep as soon as the embarrassing little sob episode subsided. He hadn't cried himself to sleep in a long, long time, and he had to say, he didn't particularly care for it. He continued to wake up several times in the middle of the night for a few brief moments before lapsing back into the uncomfortable slumber. So, yeah, he was feeling a little sleep-deprived and crabby. Not only this, but his head was hurting - Just a small ache that could barely be considered a hangover, and he did feel a little nauseated. He mentally scolded himself for it - He wasn't a lightweight, dammit. But after a moment he brushed it off. David must have just had the strong stuff.

So yeah, he needed coffee. It was a great hangover remedy, and something that could kickstart his energy for the day. For… Whatever they'd be doing today. The campers wouldn't be arriving for two more days, so it wasn't like they had anything interesting to do around camp. Max almost groaned at the thought, rubbing the back of his neck and frowning faintly to himself as he dropped his head into his other hand, propping his elbow up on his knee as he crossed his legs under the blanket. Two days stuck at camp with David, who now knew everything, Harrison, who had fucked him - Something he still needed to think about, had he fucking  _enjoyed_ it or not? - Nikki, who would… Probably make the whole thing a little more bearable, to be completely honest, and Neil, who he still had yet to crash into a bed with.

Honestly, the idea of Neil fucking him wasn't as tempting as before. Didn't make him feel as excited as he previously had been. But, it didn't matter. He'd wait for nerd boy to make a move. If he didn't, oh well. If he did, Max would just go with it, because that was what he did best, right? The seventeen year old went silent, brushing his curly mess of hair from his face and dropping his chin silently into his palm, tracing circles on his cheek with his thumb. The familiar buzzing of his phone is what tore him from his thoughts, mint green eyes leaving the wall to flicker down to the brightly glowing screen.

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Ok dude u know this is fucking awesome right? Like, lorax wants to help u n all n shit right? In all seriousness buddy I really think he could be good for u man cuz he's your idol n shit right? N he won't hurt u?_

Max sighed, scooping his phone back up. He didn't know whether or not that was a rhetorical question, but he responded anyway. David. Hurting him. Before last night, he'd been considering it. The man was so much like Damion - Or, Damion was so much like him. Damion didn't really hurt him all that bad - Max had grown numb to the pain he felt when they were in bed. But David… It would probably hurt a little with him. Just… Not… Physically, that's all. Emotionally, it would be agonizing.

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _It's fucking David he can't hurt a goddamn fly_

 _From: Kit Kat:  
_ _Exactly! I'm telling u bro, this could b a really really good thing. U know the situation ur in is bad so take the get outta jail free card and go for it! Let him help u M &M srsly u need it_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _No offense tho ily_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Yeah yeah_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Ily2 u moron_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Yay_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Anyway idfk man. I'm almost 18 anyway_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Max u know that's gonna make shit worse right? That pedo wants to fuckin marry u -_-_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _...fair nuff._

Max groaned, running his fingers through his hair and balancing the phone carefully on his fingers, biting his lip. Kyle was right, Damion had talked about it many, many times. And as disgusting as it was, Max… Went along with it, like he did everything else. He never really gave it much thought. But it was just sinking in; Soon, he'd be of legal age. Soon, there'd be nothing stopping Damion from  _actually fucking marrying him_. Because god knows Max didn't fight him anymore, heaven forbid that. But - God, no. Max didn't want to be married to that sick son of a bitch. It was hard enough with Damion even fucking him at all. He hated that stupid, motherfucking pedophile with every fiber of his being. Even if Max had taken the bait, it had been Damion throwing it all along. They were both responsible for ruining his life - Damion especially so.

So it boiled down to two options. Let David help him, go with whatever the fuck the older counselor was going to do that could probably get him out of this horrible, fucked up situation. What would happen to him when he wasn't a sex toy blindly following orders? Max honestly had no clue, but it couldn't possibly be worse than the situation he was in now. The other option? Tell David to back the fuck off and go with whatever plans Damion had. Do whatever the sick fuck wanted and keep living out the horrible, pathetic excuse of an existence that he had now and wait for the sweet, dark claws of death to sink into him, whenever the fuck that would happen because hopefully -  _Extremely fucking hopefully_ \- He wasn't immortal or some shit.

Max sighed and turned his attention back to his phone. No new responses; Kyle was waiting for his response. He was liking the first option. It was the only one that probably involved a little less pain and suffering, but Max had honestly gotten used to the pain and suffering. He wouldn't be numb anymore if he went with what David wanted, if he let the man "help him". Damion was the only one who could numb him like that. It was a drug Max honestly needed - Or at least, a drug he'd need if he continued to be a sex slave, which probably wasn't part of the whole "David helping him" plan, was it? The boy frowned, biting down on his lip as he considered.

He wished decision making was easier. He wished the pesky emotions whirling inside didn't make it more difficult on him.

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _I'll think about it. Idk it's a big decision and yeah so I'll think about it_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Ok buddy_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Now in all seriousness I do gotta go to work so I'm gonna go get a shower and do my thong_

Max pursed his lips silently, screwing his eyes shut and biting down on his tongue as he fought desperately against the laughter bubbling in his chest. He loved how easily he went from all brooding and depressed to completely fucking amused. He was honestly wondering if Kyle had done that on purpose, just because he knew Max would get a kick out of it. The seventeen year old smiled slightly - The idea wasn't all too far-fetched, Kyle had always loved making him smile. The boy sighed and blinked his eyes open, turning his attention back to his phone.

 _To: Kit Kat  
_…

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Pls don't say anything_

 _To: Kit Kat:  
_ _Oh no I wouldn't dream of saying anything_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _But yes u are so totally right u go right ahead I would hate to distract u from ur thongs._

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _I fucking hate u_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Love u too KK ;3333 3_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Ur lucky ur my bestie <3_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Yes I am. But srsly have fun at work n all_

 _To: Kit Kat  
_ _Time to endure more horrible chick flick moments!_

 _From: Kit Kat  
_ _Oh noo gluck u have my sympathies_

With that, Max shut his phone off and dropped it onto his bed, silently standing up and stretching out a bit. Now to face everyone else. Honestly, he was kind of concerned; He had absolutely no idea if anyone else had woken to hear the fight between David and Max last night. They could have been listening in for all the seventeen year old knew. And he definitely wasn't looking forward to seeing David again; The older counselor would pick up where he left off instantly, most likely. Unless… Max would just have to stick with everyone else. Hopefully David would have some common sense not to bring it up around anyone else, on the off-chance that they hadn't heard and were still blissfully oblivious to the agony that was his life.

Max got dressed almost numbly, his thoughts racing. He pulled on the Camp Counselor T-shirt he'd been given yesterday. It was… Comfortable. He rarely got any time to wear anything that was actually comfortable - Stripper clothes were weird and honestly sprinkled with tooooooo much fucking glitter to  _ever_ be comfortable in any fucking way. And that's what he usually wore - Whether it be at the club or even around Damion's house, since of course the pedophile loved Max putting on a show for him. The seventeen year old sighed, grabbing the collar he'd taken off before he'd went to sleep. It was pure black, little white spikes poking out. Honestly, he couldn't say he hated the thing. Everyone else loved seeing him in it, and in all honesty Max thought he looked pretty hot when he wore it.

The boy snapped it around his neck without a second thought, adjusting it slightly to be more comfortable before letting his curly hair fall back down. He pulled on a new pair of shorts and grabbed the phone, stuffing it into his pocket. Once he had finished getting ready, he very, very reluctantly turned to the door, hesitating. His fingers brushed against the knob, reluctant, but eventually he took a deep breath, braced himself, and pulled the door open, walking out without a word. There were a few glances thrown his way, a small smile and a hesitant wave from Harrison, a nod from Neil, who was sipping from a coffee cup. Nikki waved a little more enthusiastically, nibbling on a candy bar. Gwen didn't even spare him a glance, glaring down into her coffee cup.

None of them mattered. It was David he locked eyes with first, the older counselor's forest green eyes pretty much screaming concern as his gaze met the seventeen year old's. Max didn't say a word to him nor did he plan to, holding eye contact for a few moments longer before ripping his gaze away, eyes sweeping around. The silence that fell across the room was almost painful; He didn't know why it was silent, he just knew that it was. And while usually he'd be thankful for it, now it was just awkward.

"Coffee. Black. Now."

His words sparked up a few giggles from those who understood; Neil snorted slightly as he took another sip from his cup, and Nikki leaned back against the wall, giggling. Even Harrison let out a few soft laughs, moving from where he stood and heading over to where the coffee maker was. Max watched him silently, mint green eyes tracking every movement as he watched the other boy grab a cup and the coffee pot, pouring some into it. And what he really didn't expect was Harrison turning back to walk over to him, holding out the steaming cup with a gloved hand and a warm smile on his face, yellow eyes meeting Max's.

"Ha… I was joking," Max mumbled, slowly taking the cup from Harrison and giving him a slightly confused look. The pure warmth and affection that shone through Harrison's eyes brought back the confusion from yesterday, when the magician had given him the exact same look, several times. The seventeen year old blinked, dropping his gaze to the cup before clearing his throat and bringing his gaze back to Harrison's. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Max." Harrison replied quietly, his voice soft and betraying the pure, unguarded affection flickering in his gaze. Max went silent for a moment, clamping his mouth shut briefly. He honestly expected someone - Probably Nikki - To jump up and yell "that's so gay", but the silence once more fell over the room. Max shifted slightly, leaning to one side and finally bringing the coffee to his lips to take a sip. It was strong, and god damn did it fucking burn, but it was so good. He really had missed coffee, he just really hadn't realized it, had he? Honestly, he'd missed all of this. Camp Campbell, his friends, David. He just wished it wasn't so goddamn awkward and complicated all of a sudden.

"So," Max stared down into the cup, almost dazedly as he let his thoughts spin, not really focusing on any of them. He bit down on his lower lip for a few moments, rolling it between his teeth lightly before clearing his throat and looking up. "You're all fuckin' boring." He eventually mumbled, his voice dry. Neil snorted again; Nikki grinned and laughed.

"Ooh, we are, aren't we? No matter, you can entertain us!" Nikki replied excitedly, her green curls bouncing as she turned to Max. The seventeen year old's thoughts had instantly turned in a very dirty direction, he wanted to kick himself, mentally scolding himself to get his mind outta the fucking gutter. Then Nikki spoke again, almost causing him to choke on his coffee when he took another sip. "Why don't you do a pole dance for us? Show off some of your stripper moves! The flagpole is right outside the mess hall!" The girl sang, tilting her head to the side and grinning at Max, who was busy recovering from the near-death experience of nearly choking on coffee.

Well, he most definitely hadn't been expecting that, and he couldn't tell if Nikki was joking or not. And he hated that he had honestly grown a bit flustered from the suggestion. See, he wouldn't be flushing red and stumbling over his words if he was numb, now would he? "Uh…" The boy trailed off for a moment, uncertain. Just go with it? Jesus fucking Christ, he didn't even know if the suggestion was genuine or not!

"Uhhh, y- Let's- Let's not have him do that!" David squeaked before Max could get a coherent response out. And thank god for him; Max carefully avoided his gaze, hell, he avoided anyone's gaze, now, fixing his gaze to the floor and trying to will his burning face back to normal. "We can find other ways to entertain ourselves, ahaha… If you all want, we can all go over the camp songs to sing to the campers! We  _were_ waiting for Nerris, but I don't think she'd mind missing a few songs, and we can fill her in when she comes in, and- Max?" David's voice went from excited to worried in an instant.

Max had taken a small sip of the coffee, listening to David's ramblings and considering shutting him up with a snide comment or two. But then  _her_ name had been spoken. The coffee he had tried to swallow came back up, uncomfortably scratching, burning against his throat, which seemed to close up reflexively, to make the matters worse. Max had choked on the liquid, dropping the cup in shock and watching it splatter to the ground, covering the floor. Harrison's hand was on his back instantly; Max hardly felt it, managing to swallow down the coffee.

He sucked in a long, deep breath, gasping for air as he waited for his throat and lungs to stop burning. But, unsurprisingly, the choking wasn't the thing on his mind right then. It was the last thing he was thinking of at that moment. No, his spinning mind had come to a halt, focusing on one thing. Or, rather, one person. One person in particular. The one person Max had managed to somewhat block out of his thoughts. The repressed memories building back up. Remembering all his time with her, remembering the two of them; Best friends 'til the end, playing together, laughing together, the adventures, the quests, the games. Dungeons and Dragons, Chutes and Ladders. The girl he'd had a crush on for years on end.

He felt his heart beating in a really uncomfortable way, too fast to keep up with. Thinking of her now as he'd tried so hard to do before made his face flush instinctively, his cheeks and ears burn. His gaze was rooted to the mess of glass and coffee on the floor, his hands still hanging uselessly in front of him with nothing to hold onto, nothing to grab. He honestly felt like he was about to fall back. His stomach twisted in violent ways that made him feel like the coffee was about to come right back up from where he'd just completely chugged it down, but the most alarming thing was the feeling in his chest. The fluttering, terrifying, twisting feeling that wasn't really painful. But it sure as hell wasn't pleasurable. It was a feeling he thought he'd long gotten past, a feeling he hadn't felt in so long. A feeling that was easily resurfacing now, and all because David had said  _her_ name.

And then it really sunk in, his words  _really_  sunk in.

" _We were waiting for Nerris."  
_" _Fill her in when she comes in."_

The strange feeling intensified, bringing a soft and rather embarrassing squeak from the seventeen year old's lips, hands flying up over his mouth. Both to muffle any other noises that might escape, and to cover his face a little. Because if the burning feeling in his cheeks was anything to go by, his face was probably as red as David's fucking  _hair_ right then, and that was really saying something. He was still gasping, although he was pretty sure he had caught his breath by now, or at least, he should have, anyway. And everyone was staring. Nikki had moved a little closer, her hand now on his shoulder. Harrison's hand hadn't left his back. Neil was beside Nikki. Gwen had looked up from her cup and had taken a few steps forward. David was now directly in front of him.

Max barely registered any of these things. It was like a lightbulb going off in his head when he finally realized it, a soft  _click_ that had his gaze finally snapping up to meet David's. He didn't know what he was feeling. Horror, fear, uncertainty, all mixed in with that horrible, twisting feeling in his chest. He pulled his hands away from his mouth, practically forcing the words out, his voice soft and shaky as he spoke her name for the first time in two fucking years.

"N- Ne-  _Nerris_ is- is coming…  _Here_?"


End file.
